AAdvantage members can use miles to redeem tickets for the 26th World Cup

Fans who missed out on the chance to win a FIFA World Cup ticket lottery may soon have another chance. American Airlines announced Thursday that AAdvantage members will have a second chance to redeem AA miles for tickets to the 2026 FIFA World Cup and gain early entry based on elite status.

In addition to launching redemption services, the airline is also preparing for the event including expanded flight coverage to host cities, fan raffles and special aircraft decals.

The news comes as the U.S. travel industry prepares for the 2026 tournament, which will span cities across the U.S., Canada and Mexico. This is the second batch of tickets offered by American Airlines through AAdvantage redemption, following the launch of the first batch of tickets on October 13.

Here’s what we know so far.

Starting December 17, use AAdvantage miles to redeem tickets for 26 World Cup games

American Airlines will offer AAdvantage members a new way to attend the world’s biggest sporting events, allowing them to redeem miles for game tickets. Access will be opened in batches based on elite status:

• December 17 – Executive Platinum Members and ConciergeKey Members
• December 18 – Platinum Professional, Platinum and Gold members
• December 19 — All AAdvantage members

American Airlines encourages members to download the airline’s app and enable push notifications to ensure they receive ticket purchase reminders when the window opens.

RELATED: Last-minute strategies for achieving elite status at American Airlines

How to become an AAdvantage member

Joining American Airlines’ AAdvantage program is free and only takes a minute. Simply go to aa.com, provide basic contact information and create your account. Once you sign up, you’ll receive an AAdvantage number that can be used to participate in promotions from American Airlines and its partners, earn flight miles, and redeem rewards.

This will allow you to participate in the third wave of ticket sales starting on December 19th.

More ways to earn World Cup miles

To make it easier for fans to earn enough miles before redeeming, AAdvantage members can continue to earn miles through daily partners or flying, and American Airlines currently offers discounts of up to 40% when purchasing miles directly.

You also have the option of applying for an American Airlines co-branded card to earn miles that can be used toward World Cup tickets. The caveat here is that you need to meet a minimum spending requirement to receive the welcome bonus; however, once you reach that goal, the miles will be credited to your account quickly, and you can then redeem them for flights.

American Airlines expands flights between host cities, adding 27,000 seats

To help fans travel between 16 host cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico, American also announced it will add 27,000 additional seats on 12 routes next summer. More flights, larger aircraft and some temporary direct routes related to high-demand match days are expected.

Major new additions include:

• Multiple routes offer more flights and larger aircraft, including Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) to Miami International Airport (MIA), etc.
• Special World Cup routes include flights from ATL to Kansas City International Airport (MCI) during the quarterfinals and from New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA) to MCI in late June.

The airline said it would start selling additional flights once the match schedule is finalized.

bottom line

If you missed the FIFA 26 World Cup first-round ticket drawing, American Airlines is giving AAdvantage members another chance to get tickets. Starting December 17, you can redeem miles for game tickets, with early access available based on elite status.

Not a member yet? It’s free to join and you can start earning miles immediately to secure your spot at the world’s biggest sporting events.

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